When we enrolled in a Road Scholar trip to Spain, we didn’t know that we were going to witness history in the making. As it happened, we arrived in Barcelona on Saturday, September 30, the day before a referendum in which Catalans were to vote for independence or, more accurately, the right to vote for independence. (Catalonia consists of four provinces in the eastern part of Spain including the major city of Barcelona.)

The central government declared the referendum illegal in advance and sent in police to try to discourage voting. This action merely fanned the flames of discontent and led to the ultimate result: 90 percent of the votes were “for,” although only 43 percent of voters had turned out to vote. Most of those in favor of remaining part of Spain stayed home, convinced that the referendum was illegal.

Our group leader, a spirited young woman from Madrid, the site of the central government, was very upset about the referendum and angered with the outcome. Some of our lecturers, however, were hardcore Catalans in favor of independence. Emotions ran high on all sides.

Before we departed for Spain, we had asked a friend who is a native of Barcelona how he hoped the vote would turn out. “My heart says, “Yes,” (vote to secede),” he said, “but my head says ‘No.’” On our first day in Barcelona, we had lunch with an American currently living in Barcelona, and he echoed those thoughts. He also noted that language plays a major role in the dispute. Under Franco’s dictatorship, Castillian was declared the official language and Catalan was not supposed to be spoken or taught.

In the aftermath of the election, there were large protests in Madrid in favor of a united Spain and against Catalonian withdrawal. Several banks and corporations with offices in Catalonia threatened to pull out if Catalonia seceded. The president of Catalonia recently agreed to slow down the process of withdrawal and continue the dialogue.

The situation remains in the air as of this writing. Everyone seems to agree that: 1. The situation is very complicated and 2. The political leaders have not tried hard to bring different factions together in the spirit of compromise. Sound familiar?

We came away from our fascinating trip to Spain — four days in Barcelona and four days in Madrid — with many questions having nothing to do with the current political dispute.

We rode a fine high-speed (180-mph) train from Barcelona to Madrid, for example prompting the question: Why is public transportation in the U.S. so far behind that of Spain, France and England?

Spain’s healthcare system is regularly rated among the world’s best, guaranteeing universal coverage and no upfront expenditure from patients apart from paying a proportion of prescription charges. Why can’t the U.S. create a system which guarantees universal coverage?

How on earth — or in heaven — did someone envision the creation of the Cathedral de Toledo, a magnificent structure that took 267 years to build (1226 to 1493)?

What went on in the magical mind of Antonio Gaudi, the architect of the world famous Sagrada Familia, a structure begun in 1882 and scheduled for completion in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death?

Barcelona is considered the pickpocketing capital of the world, and Madrid is close behind. Indeed, a member of our group had her iPhone stolen. Why don’t the authorities crack down on this scourge by flooding heavy tourist areas with plainclothes cops?

All questions aside and all jet lag accounted for, it’s good to return to the slower pace — and fall colors — of Maine.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.